Yesterday afternoon (3 February), Paul Givan resigned as Joint First Minister which consequently removed Deputy First Minister Michelle O’Neill from her post and brought the NI Executive down once again.
The heat pressure from the protocol pot has over-boiled and has caused a political storm, however, this political fall down halts all decision making for the foreseeable future, affecting key funding for the travel and tourism sectors.
Anita and NI Tourism Alliance have been involved in talks for a number of weeks trying to secure additional funding for the sector, Damian Murphy of Anita reacts to the news:
“At a meeting of the economy committee on Wednesday 02 Feb- they all but agreed to move forward and propose a further grant for the travel industry here in Northern Ireland. This would have been passed to the Finance Minister for his approval and hopefully paid to us late March. Im not sure what way this will go now but obviously I am now concerned that this latest development within the executive will either hold things up or even worse put us back to square one. As we speak we are trying to gain some clarity on the matter and to seek some sort of reassurance from the executive”
NI Tourism Alliance Chair Brenda Morgan MBE and CEO Joanne Stuart said
“The political instability caused by the resignation of the First Minister undermines confidence in Northern Ireland as a destination to visit and invest in. As we emerge from the pandemic, our tourism businesses need to attract international visitors through positive marketing and a clear message that Northern Ireland is a great place to visit.”
They continued,
“This political move has also created a situation where the ability for the NI Executive to make important decisions on the removal of restrictions and the three year budget are at risk.”
“Tourism businesses are facing uncertainty about the future and how they will start to rebuild after losing 12 months trading out of the last 24 months. With increasing costs in energy, food and interest rates, now is the time when we need political stability. We need the NI Executive working together with shared purpose and responsibility to find solutions and providing strong leadership to instil confidence in the global market that Northern Ireland is open for business.”
